The present invention relates to a winch for the slip-free hauling of a rope, for example, on a sailing boat. The rope loops around a clamping roller with a looping angle of less than 360.degree. whereby the rope may be guided through and by the clamping roller in both rotational directions to handle the rope with millimeter precision. The "rope" may be a cable.
My previously granted U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,486 of Oct. 17, 1978 discloses a method and a winch for the slip-free hauling of a rope or similar flexible force transmitting elements. The winch of my patent comprises a housing, a clamping pulley, a relative and/or an absolute arresting system in an operating or control device as well as a gearing system and a brake clutch. The gearing system is used to step down the force of the rope. The control device is used to modify the slippage of the rope. An auxiliary device initiates and controls the braking, releasing, and arresting of the rope. The winch of my patent has found substantial acceptance in the market place. However, there is room for improvement.